paul bernstein

PRODIGAL

Pity the poor mother left
with a heartbreak of roses
while I, wild seed sprung
from her forsaken ground,
romp in the cowboy west.
Drunk on mescaline sunsets,
bar bands and the toxic
scent of women, I spilled myself
into careless girls to the clashing
beat of blues guitars and my
unanswered phone, unmoved
by a father's grave or mommy's
homeless love.


Paul Bernstein's poems have appeared in Main Street Rag, the new renaissance, U.S. 1 Worksheets, Poetry Motel, Poesia and other journals. He works as a freelance medical editor in New York, NY and is a regular particpant in readings and open mics in the New York area.